El Camino - CL (Penn State Series in Lived Religious Experinece) [Hardcover]

Lee Hoinacki (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penn State Series in Lived Religious Experinece | Publication Date: October 1996

A day-by-day account of the author's five-hundred-mile solitary pilgrimage on foot to Saint James's legendary burial place in Spain includes his reflections on religious sensibility and other observations along the way. UP.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

At the age of 65 in the spring of 1993, Hoinacki, an American, walked the same path that pilgrims have been following to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, since the Middle Ages. As a former Domincan priest, political science professor, and subsistence farmer, Hoinacki had been searching for spiritual satisfaction in many ways and wanted to find out what the pilgrims experienced in their travels to the burial place of St. James. His work is a day-by-day account of his solitary travels from St. Jean de Pied Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, in 32 days and across 500 miles. Hoinacki set out with little preparation and equipment so he could be open to all that the walk offered. His reflections involve, among other things, what modern technology and integration into Europe have done to Spanish tradition and civilization and the value of pain in personal spiritual growth. He also felt the presence of pilgrims from long ago walking with him and helping him when times were hard. Recommended for larger travel, Spanish studies, and religion and philosophy collections.?William R. Smith, Johns Hopkins Univ. Lib., Baltimore, Md.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lee Hoinacki is a former Dominican priest, professor of political science, and subsistence farmer. He holds degrees in philosophy, political science, Latin American Studies, and theology and has taught at Sangamon State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Penn State University, and, in Germany, at the University of Oldenburg and the University of Bremen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271016124
• ISBN-13: 978-0271016122
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the Camino of Santiago, February 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: El Camino - CL (Penn State Series in Lived Religious Experinece) (Hardcover)

An inspiring travelogue of the ups and downs of the life of a modern pilgrim. Great reflections on spirituality, religion, modernisation, architecture, and travel in the modern age. Lots of practical tips can be gleaned from his experience of the walk. It was one of the first books I read about the pilgrimage before setting out myself this past fall. Hoinacki taught me that this pilgrimage, although not original, is certainly experienced uniquely by each person who decides one day to just put on a pack and start walking, like he did. He decided that chocolate would be too much of an indulgence for the pilgrim. So he never ate chocolate while he was walking. I did. And lots of it!!

P.S. I got my copy at Wide World Books and Maps in Seattle.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritually and emotionally moving experience, July 12, 2000

By 

Robert Michael Morgan - See all my reviews

This review is from: El Camino - CL (Penn State Series in Lived Religious Experinece) (Hardcover)

I was totally fascinated by this book. The descriptions of places and historical references were a great addition to understanding the signficance of the pilgrim's journeys, currently and in centuries past. The author's thoughts on technology, tradition, modernization and even aging were a marvelous commentary set against this ancient journey. As a result of a previous visit to Santiago and reading this book, I am even more moved to make my own journey on the camino.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for the traveller and pilgrim, January 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: El Camino - CL (Penn State Series in Lived Religious Experinece) (Hardcover)

This is a great book and is a very useful guide to the pilgrimage. It is hard to find, and Amazon is doing a great service in trying to provide it for pilgrims. However extracts from the book with very useful information can be found at the Telegraph Online London web site in the TRAVEL section. Look search under Yahoo for Telegraph Online and then Browse the many pages and articles on the pilgrimage found under the travel section. The book is fully reviewed in the newspaper's travel pages, the site has many useful useful facts about the pilgrimage including a FAQ